Monday, March 31, 2014

FOCUS: Robert
Parry | Ukraine's Inconvenient Neo-NazisRobert Parry, Consortium NewsParry writes: "Ukraine's neo-Nazis are not some urban
legend. Their presence is real, as they swagger in their paramilitary garb
through the streets of Kiev, displaying Nazi insignias, honoring SS
collaborators from World War II, and hoisting racist banners, including the
white-power symbol of the Confederate battle flag." READ
MORE

FOCUS: Charles
Pierce | The GOP's Last Line of Defense on ObamacareCharles Pierce, EsquirePierce writes: "Apparently, the last line of defense
that the Republicans have on the Affordable Care Act is to argue that the
administration is cooking the books."READ
MORE

Chris Hedges | Fighting the
Militarized StateChris Hedges,
TruthDigHedges writes: "The lawsuit,
Hedges v. Obama, challenges Section 1021(b)(2) of the National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA). It was signed into law the last day of 2011."READ
MORE

Thomas Frank |
Plutocracy Without EndThomas Frank, SalonFrank writes: "I've been writing about what we politely
call 'inequality' since the mid-1990s, but one day about ten years ago, when I
was traveling the country lecturing about the toxic curlicues of right-wing
culture, it dawned on me that maybe I had been getting the entire story
wrong."READ
MORE

Disgruntled
Worker Sets Fire, Destroys US Nuclear SubmarineDavid Sharp, Associated PressSharp writes: "The Navy said farewell Friday
to the USS Miami, the nuclear-powered submarine whose service was cut short when
a shipyard employee trying to get out of work set it on fire, causing $700
million in damage."READ
MORE

FBI to Probe
Killing of Homeless Man by NM PolicePatrik Jonsson, The Christian
Science MonitorJonsson writes: "The
FBI has now launched a criminal probe into why Albuquerque police officers on
the scene killed the man, James Boyd, as he appeared to be giving up."READ
MORE

US Joint
Chiefs Chairman to Israel for Talks on Mutual Strategic
InterestsAgence France-PresseExcerpt: "The chairman of the US joint chiefs
of staff is heading to Israel for talks on mutual strategic interests after
Israel's defence minister upset Washington with remarks criticising US foreign
policy."READ
MORE

A High Seas
Fishing Ban? (Almost) Everybody WinsJohn Upton, Grist Upton writes: "When it comes to fishing, most of the
ocean is lawless."READ
MORE

You can watch silently as the world drowns in Koch Brothers' fibs, fables, fictions, fabrications, forgeries and falsehoods. Or you can help our campaign beat them back. Deadline: Midnight http://gray.sn/1dHyYrB

The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group II report published
today in Yokohoma, Japan paint a dark future for global humanity and other
species on earth. It predicts violent conflicts, food shortages and
infrastructure damage in the coming decades, while a growing number of animals
and marine species will face increased risk of extinction. The report was
compiled by more than 300 authors from 70 different countries with contributions
from thousands of global experts

Climate
crisis generated increased insecurity is now boldly visible. IPCC, the global
scientists’ panel on climate change, for the first time, has connected climate
crisis to possibilities of conflicts

The
question is: What is the long–term stress acidification from Arctic haze might
put on the fragile Arctic ecology? While we don’t know this yet, the haze might
also be contributing to the rapid polar melt

For
the reasons mentioned here, we can see that an economic system where selfishness
and greed are exalted as the mainspring for human actions lacks both a social
conscience and an ecological conscience. Both these dimensions are needed for
the long-term survival of human civilization and the biosphere

As
someone who for many years has defended the peaceful rise of China as a global
power as a positive development that will lead to the emergence of a more
equitable multi-polar international order, it is imperative that China
demonstrates greater sensitivity towards its neighbours. It should never be seen
as a nation with a narrow, blinkered view of its own interests with little
empathy for the honour and dignity of other people, especially those who are its
true and tested friends. The MH 370 tragedy has brought this issue to the
fore

Everything
you hear in the Mainstream media is suspect. Everything that comes out of
Congress is suspect. The President lies to his people. The government spies on
us. This is something I didn't sign up for

Crimean crisis: The smell
Of American Hypocrisy In The Air By Kourosh Ziabari

The
United States is imparting a clear message by adopting this insincere and
hypocritical approach toward Russia, which is also a message to other countries:
We can invade your countries, we can kill your citizens, we can rule you
tyrannically, we can behave in any way we desire, but if you do something which
doesn’t please us, we will impose sanctions on you, we will banish you from
international organizations, and we will come down on you like a ton of bricks.
This is how the American hypocrisy works

The
democratic credentials of India touched a nadir when 67 Kashmiri students
studying in a Meerut University were charged with sedition and expelled from the
university for cheering for Pakistan cricket team. Since then news of hounding
& harassment of Kashmiri students are pouring in from many other Indian
States as well. Though charges of sedition have since been dropped, the other
charges of rioting & promoting enmity between different group etc. still
remain, jeopardizing the career of many a meritorious student

Mark Udall has been one of the Heroes in the Senate who has spoken out for ALL Americans and stood up to vested interests. I share the email below so that we all know what the 'Dark Money' of Hidden CampaignContributions from those such as Sheldon Adelson is doing. As Americans, we have a choice this year more than ever. We can get involved, make a nominal contribution to keep those Heroes in Washington fighting for us. We can make some phone calls, volunteer for the campaign....Get involved!

Thanks for all you do!

Yesterday Congressman Cory Gardner was in Las Vegas meeting billionaire
Sheldon Adelson, a casino magnate and GOP super funder. Adelson spent more than
$100 million in 2012 supporting Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, and now he has
his eyes set on us. Think of him as the Koch brother of the West.

Congressman Gardner already has the Koch brothers on his side for his race against Mark Udall. We don't need more
billionaires spending big to take over Colorado for the special
interests.

The Koch brothers have already dumped nearly $1 million into false television
ads to distort Mark's record, and there will be millions more spent on
Colorado's airwaves.We can't match the outside spending, but we can build a strong ground
game inside Colorado to spread the truth about Mark's record across the
state.

I can't overstate the importance of tonight's deadline. We must counter
Congressman Gardner's sudden entry into the race with a strong fundraising
report to show the pundits and the media Mark's strength.

I’ve seen all the hard data, digested all the scary graphs, seen all the heartbreaking photos from the Arctic. I’ve heard reports from other people across the world [on] what impact climate change is having on their lives and there’s nothing that I...

Many of you express outrage about what’s happening to our democracy and our economy. That’s appropriate. But outrage spawns two contrary sentiments. The first leads to reform. The second guarantees defeat.

(2) Cynicism. “Nothing can be done.” “The game is rigged, so why bother?” “Don’t even try.” “It’s hopeless.” “We’re screwed.” “I give up.” “It’s even worse than I thought, and I’m utterly powerless to do anything about it.”

Which camp do you find yourself in? If you’re in the latter or know others in it, how can you move yourself or them into the first camp?

How many times do we have to say it? SHARE if you agree: Your boss is not your doctor.

People who responded to the question cited different reasons for saying that they’re better off since the ACA went into effect. Some pointed out that the ACA has saved them money, reduced their monthly premiums, and lowered deductibles and co-pays.

A large number of those who responded to Cruz’s ‘quick poll,’ said cited the ACA that prevents insurance companies from dropping people with a preexisting condition.

Others pointed to the laws requirement that... young people be allowed to stay on their parent’s insurance until the age of 26.

Some pointed out that the law prevents insurance companies from putting lifetime limits on healthcare spending.

People pointed to the overall benefits of the ACA, including keeping the rising cost of medical care under control, which benefits everyone.

Many of those who responded cited the most important benefit one can imagine. ‘It saved my life.’

Not everyone said that Obamacare had helped them. There were intermittent responses from the tea party crowd. When called out, it quickly became apparent that the ‘no’ respondents had not signed up for the ACA or even reviewed their options, under the law.

There were people like this woman, who claims she doesn’t want insurance and won’t pay for it.

In spite of her professed ideology, she clearly has no problem shifting the burden of her healthcare onto the public. If she gets hurt in an accident or becomes sick, her options will be to file for bankruptcy, unless she has hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay her own medical expenses.

Not surprisingly, statistics show that red states have the highest rate of bankruptcy in the nation. Four out of the states with the highest number of personal bankruptcies are red. Medical debt accounts for more than 60 percentof all bankruptcies. What the tea party doesn’t get is that everyone in the country has been covering their medical expenses for years. Obamacare means no more free riders.

Everyone who can afford to, has to contribute to the system. Maybe that’s what they’re so mad about, underneath the surface of all that patriotic, flag waving showmanship.

There’s nothing patriotic about driving healthcare costs up for everyone else in the country, because you falsely believe that being asked to pay taxes is unconstitutional. There’s nothing patriotic about bankrupting the medical system, because you take a ‘moral position’ against buying health insurance. There’s certainly nothing patriotic about using it as a weapon in order to try andshut down the government."

Those who are trying to create a market-based system to replace public education have been selling the false narrative that our public schools are obsolete and failing, education blogger and historian Diane Ravitch writes. "Public education is the target, and privatizing it is the goal."

The
physicians at Pediatric Alternatives treat thousands of California children.
They have impeccable credentials, having trained and completed residencies at
some of the nation's top medical schools and institutions.

So
it might surprise you to learn that one of Pediatric Alternatives' policies is
extremely unorthodox: It recommends that families delay certain childhood
immunizations—in some cases for years past the age recommended by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention—and forego others entirely.

If
these top-shelf pediatricians are willing to allow customized immunization plans
for each patient, then is there a possibility they are onto something? Could it
be that much of what we've heard about the importance of timely vaccines is
wrong?

To
find out the answer—and to watch a video of Pediatric Alternatives' head
physician explaining her beliefs—clickhere. [READ
MORE]

Related Links

The Barnstable-based environmental organization further urges the transfer of Pilgrim's 3,800 spent fuel rods to dry casks; air and land radiation monitoring; expansion of emergency planning to include the Cape; and replacing the power plant with "safer and less-polluting alternative energy sources."

Ed DeWitt, the association's executive director, said Friday the agency had been looking at this issue for several months largely because of the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, "and what came out of that in lessons learned."

In its position statement, which focuses on environmental impacts, the association calls Cape Cod "one of the most ecologically valuable and sensitive areas" in the state.

"The Fukushima nuclear disaster provided important lessons: a) improbable accidents occur, and b) if an accident results in major radioactive contamination, there can be serious and widespread impacts on water resources, fish, wildlife, food webs, crops, the economy, human populations and society," the statement says.

Safety concerns included frequent power outages at the plant, a past fire that could have damaged the reactor, storage of spent nuclear fuel in pools, partial blockage of the emergency cooling system by mussels, and Pilgrim's "vulnerability to natural hazards and terrorism."

The agency pointed out that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently downgraded Pilgrim to include it in a group of the nation's eight lowest-rated reactors, based on its recent poor performance.

"These issues point to aging infrastructure, outdated systems, failure to account for climate change, and inadequate maintenance, oversight and regulation," the association says in its statement.

Also on the association's list is concern over the release of radioactive materials, including tritium, into groundwater and discharge of heated seawater into Cape Cod Bay "resulting in a thermal plume, erosion, barren and stunted areas, warm-water algae growth and increased thermal burden on marine ecosystems."

Diane Turco, co-founder of the Pilgrim watchdog group Cape Downwinders, called the nine-page position statement "another comprehensive indictment of Pilgrim."

"How much more evidence does the Nuclear Regulatory Commission need to follow its congressional mandate to preserve the public's safety?" Turco said.

Entergy, the Pilgrim plant's owner and operator, issued a statement when asked for reaction to the position paper.

"Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is a safe and vital resource to the commonwealth and the region. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, after six years and tens of thousands of hours of review and analysis, including the plant's potential effects on the environment, concluded that the plant is safe and can continue to provide virtually emission-free electricity for years to come and we stand by that," Entergy's statement says.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission did not provide a comment in time for this story.

DeWitt said the association plans to share the statement with officials and organizations throughout the region, hoping to gain support. "Ultimately we want to work toward logical decommission," he said.

PROVINCETOWN — The outermost town may become the first on Cape Cod to ban single-use plastic bags from stores and restaurants.

"We want to capitalize on our beauty without having bags in our ocean and in our trees," said Laura Ludwig, a member of Provincetown's Recycling and Renewable Energy Committee.

Voters will have a chance to weigh in on the proposed bag ban at the April 7 town meeting, where the measure is on the warrant.

The targeted bags include the lightweight type distributed at Stop & Shop rather than the sturdier versions given out at places such as Marine Specialties, a shop on Commercial Street, Ludwig said.

The thinner bags, made of low-density polyethylene (which may be marked with the recycling code No. 4), catch the air easily. And they fly easily out of landfills and dumpsters, she said.

They find their way into the ocean, where whales and sea turtles often die in mistaking them for their favorite foods, jellyfish and squid, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Although the bags can be recycled, in reality they often end up in the trash hopper since they don't process well in recycling machines that attempt to chop them into little pieces, she said.

"They tend to gum up the works," Ludwig said.

Though Provincetown may be first on the Cape to attempt such a ban, Nantucket did away with plastic bags, Styrofoam cups and Styrofoam packing material back in 1990, said Diane Holdgate, the island's public works administrator.

Back then, she said, big grocery stories had been using plastic for only a couple of years. So Nantucket simply banned the material before it became habit-forming, she said.

"Most people here preferred paper anyway," Holdgate said.

In 2013, three other Massachusetts towns — Manchester, Brookline and Great Barrington — passed similar bag bans at town meeting, according to the Surfrider Foundation, a national nonprofit organization that tracks plastic bag bans and fee legislation.

To date in California there are 67 bag-ban ordinances, according to Surfrider.

This year, Hawaii became the first state in the nation to ban the bags.

"It's happening in so many places," Ludwig said.

Stop & Shop spokeswoman Jennifer Krupski said the grocery store chain would not comment on a regulation it has not yet seen. But Ludwig said Stop & Shop representatives have voiced support to her committee, as have other local retail stores.

People will be offered paper bags at stores or they can bring their own reusable bags.

The ban would take effect in January 2015.

Businesses that don't comply would be fined $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second and $200 for a third, the town meeting article states.

'There's sealed evidence on MH370 that cannot be made public'
- Malaysian air force general 26 Mar
2014 A Malaysian team have told relatives of Chinese passengers on board the
missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 that there was sealed evidence that
cannot be made public, as they came under fire from the angry relatives at a
briefing on Wednesday. The sealed evidence
included air traffic control radio transcript, radar data and airport security
recordings. The briefing at the Metropark Lido Hotel in Beijing
focused on UK satellite analysis which led Malaysia to conclude that flight
MH370 ended in south Indian Ocean, off Perth.

MH370 search: Captain Mark Matthews paints pessimistic
assessment of black box search 30
Mar 2014 Finding the black box flight recorder of the missing Malaysia Airlines
passenger jet is simply "untenable" as things stand at the moment, the US Navy
officer who will lead the search has conceded. The deeply pessimistic assessment
from Captain Mark Matthews came as the Royal Australian Navy vessel Ocean Shield
was being loaded with a "pinger" locator and an underwater drone critical to
recovering the black box. However, ADV Ocean Shield will not arrive in the
319,000 square kilometre search area for three to four days, while the beacon on
the black box could have only four days of battery power left.

Missing Flight MH370: AirAsia pilot suspended for claiming
Kuala Lumpur is 'hiding facts' 28
Mar 2014 A senior AirAsia pilot has been suspended for suggesting in a Fbook
post Malaysian authorities have been "hiding facts" about the disappearance of
MH370. "The supposed debris…isn't even confirmed to be from the plane yet! Show
us the proof and then tell us MH370 has crashed," wrote the pilot from the Kuala
Lumpur-based airline. "Till then stop hiding the facts! It's obvious even to a
blind man that there are tons of info the government definitely knows and isn't
sharing yet!," he wrote. AirAsia's chief executive officer Tony Fernandes
tweeted the senior first officer who he did not name had been suspended pending
an investigation.

International panel of intelligence, aviation agencies will be
created to probe disappearance of MH370 30 Mar 2014 The Transport Ministry will set up an international
committee to probe the disappearance of MH370, says its Acting Minister Datuk
Seri Hishammuddin Hussein. He also hinted that international aviation and
intelligence agencies would be invited to look into [cover up] the issues over
Malaysia's aviation industry. "I have indicated that not only the Royal
Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is doing an inquiry but the ministry is also coming
up with an international panel," he told reporters.

Australia taps former defence chief to coordinate MH370 search
support 30 Mar 2014 Australia has
appointed a former chief of its defence forces to coordinate the country's
support for the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, Prime
Minister Tony Abbott said on Sunday. Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston will lead a
new Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) based in Perth, from where the
search for the missing plane was being carried out in the Indian Ocean. The
Australian government is coordinating the search for MH370, which has involved
60 aircraft and ships, and cooperation between more than two dozen
countries.

Letter demands that Beijing mounts own inquiry in MH370
case --'We question
Malaysia's motivations in misleading and delaying so as to miss the best moment
to find MH370.' 29 Mar 2014 Relatives of the Chinese passengers aboard
missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 have demanded China mount its own inquiry
into the disappearance, a letter shows. The document, sent to Beijing's special
envoy in Kuala Lumpur, denounced Malaysia's handling of the search and asked the
Chinese government to set up its own "investigation office". Relatives have also
clashed with senior Malaysian officials in briefings in Beijing, with some
openly insulting them and accusing Malaysia of hiding the
truth.

World's first cyber hijack: Was missing Malaysia Airlines
flight hacked with mobile phone? 16
Mar 2014 Intelligence chiefs fear the missing Malaysian airliner was hijacked by
hackers taking over the controls using a mobile phone. British anti-terror
expert Dr Sally Leivesley said last night: "It might well be the world's first
cyber hijack." Dr Leivesley, a former Home Office scientific adviser, said the
hackers could change the plane's speed, altitude and direction by sending radio
signals to its flight management system. It could then be landed or made to
crash by remote control. Possible culprits include criminal gangs, terrorists or
a foreign power. ['Foreign power.' Diego Garcia?]

Malaysia did not check passport database prior to plane
disappearance: Interpol 29 Mar 2014
The international police agency Interpol said on Friday that Malaysia's
immigration department had not checked passengers' passports against its
database at all this year prior to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight
MH370. As a result, two passengers with stolen Austrian and Italian passports
were able to board the plane, which vanished over the South China Sea on March
8, Interpol said in a statement.

Malaysian Air, Boeing Data on Plane Sought in U.S.
Court 26 Mar 2014 Malaysian Airline
System Bhd. and Boeing Co. records of Flight 370's maintenance and crew are
being sought by a law firm representing the uncle of one of the missing plane's
passengers, the opening salvo in what may become a barrage of litigation over
its disappearance... Citing satellite data, Malaysia's government said March 24
the flight ended in the southern Indian Ocean, southwest of Perth, Australia,
and the airline said there is no hope of survivors. "We believe that both
defendants named are responsible for the disaster of Flight MH370," Monica
Kelly, a partner in the Chicago-based firm Ribbeck Law Chartered, said in a
statement announcing the filing yesterday in Illinois state court in
Chicago.

Or, please mail a check or m*ney order
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Breaking:North and South Korea exchange artillery
fire 31 Mar 2014 North and South
Korea traded artillery fire across their disputed maritime border on Monday. The
South's military said it had responded to shells landing in its waters from a
North live-fire drill. "Some of the shells fired by North Korea dropped in our
area and our side responded with fire," a spokesman for the South Korean Joint
Chiefs of Staff said. There was no indication that either side was firing at any
particular target.

U.N. watchdog urges Obama to curb drone use,
surveillance 27 Mar 2014 A U.N.
human rights watchdog called on the Obama administration on Thursday to limit
its use of drones targeting suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban
militants civilians and to curb U.S. surveillance activities at home and
abroad. U.S. drone strikes have led to excessive civilian casualties and
unrestricted data collection has eroded the right to privacy, the U.N. Human
Rights Committee said in its first report on Washington's rights record since
2006. "A lot has to do with lack of transparency and oversight," Swiss lawyer
Walter Kaelin, who is among the panel's 18 independent experts, told a news
briefing where the findings were issued.

Russian Senator seeks to strip President Obama of Nobel over
double standards 24 Mar 2014 A
Russian senator has asked the Nobel Committee to annul the award given to the US
President last year claiming Barack Obama's double standard policy has helped
develop the political crisis in Ukraine. "The double standard policy is
incompatible with the title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate. I think the Nobel
committee must take an objective look at the situation and consider the
possibility of taking the title from Barack Obama," Senator Lyudmila Bokova
(Saratov Region) was quoted as saying by the Izvestia daily. "The latest
statements and activities of Mr. Obama are clearly aimed against the non-violent
solution of the Ukrainian crisis. Besides, the US President is pursuing the
objective of world domination and the interests of the Ukrainian people
is the last thing to be taken into consideration by him," the Russian
politician said.

Marine flashed security badge on Obama trip, bragged of being
'bullet catcher' - witnesses 29 Mar
2014 Military officials said they are investigating the conduct of a U.S. Marine
who was on assignment for President Obama's trip to the Netherlands last week,
after witnesses said he was talking in detail about his job and passing around
his government security badge during a night of drinking at a bar. The Marine,
Korey Nathan Pritchett, was first identified by a Dutch newspaper based on
witness accounts and smartphone photos taken during the partying, which happened
two nights before Obama arrived at The Hague for a nuclear security summit.
Pritchett is a security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Monte­negro and reports to
the State Department, according to department and military
officials.

Israeli Supreme Court to hear war crimes case against top
officials - report 30 Mar 2014 In a
unique hearing next week, the Israeli Supreme Court will be presented with a
petition that reportedly contains evidence implicating a number of high ranking
officials in war crimes during military operations in Lebanon and Gaza, Al
Jazeera reports. For the first time in history the Israeli judiciary on April 2
will hear evidence against top officials blamed for committing war crimes in
Lebanon and Gaza, according to the report. The Supreme Court will be presented
with a 52-page petition outlining Israel's alleged crimes in three operations in
Lebanon in summer 2006, Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in late 2008, and an attack
on a humanitarian aid flotilla in May 2010.

Turkey blocks YouTube after 'Syria invasion plan'
leak 28 Mar 2014 Access to YouTube
has been cut off in Turkey after an explosive leak of audiotapes that appeared
to show ministers talking about provoking military intervention in Syria. Other
social media have already been blocked ahead of tumultuous local elections. The
latest leaked audio recording, which reportedly led to the ban, appears to show
top government officials discussing a potential attack on the tomb of Suleyman
Shah, the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire.

Libya poised to retake oil ports from rebels in move that
could split country 28 Mar 2014
Libyan government forces are poised to attack rebels blockading key oil ports
this weekend in an offensive that risks splitting the country apart. A deadline
for rebels in the eastern province of Cyrenaica to hand over the ports,
blockaded since last summer, has passed with the opposition still in control and
vowing to form a breakaway state if attacked... Meanwhile, militias in the
western mountain town of Zintan have cut one of Libya's last remaining
pipelines, further choking production and leaving the government facing
rebellion on two fronts.

Fukushima cleanup suspended after worker's
death --Friday's fatality was fifth death
among workers involved in cleanup operation at Fukushima
plant 29 Mar 2014 The operator of
Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, TEPCO, suspended the cleanup at the
facility after one of the workers died while digging a ditch Friday. All cleanup
operations at the plant have been suspended for an immediate safety inspection,
Kyodo News reports. Like most of the laborers at the disaster-hit nuclear plant,
the worker was hired by Tokyo Electric Power Co. through a subcontractor. The
Fukushima operator didn't announce the man's name or his direct employer, only
saying that he reported up to Toso Fudosan Kanri Company, a first-tier
contractor under TEPCO.Fukushima Nuclear Worker Dies in
Mudslide 28 Mar 2014 A worker at the
Japanese nuclear plant devastated by the 2011 tsunami has died after being
buried in a mudslide. The man had been working near a storage area at the
Fukushima Daiichi plant. He was already unconscious when he was dug out and
taken to a hospital. He could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead three
hours later, said Tokyo Electric Power Company, the utility that operates the
plant.Southington, Conn. Schools in 'Precaution'
Lockdown --Schools
went into an 'exterior lock' protocol. 27 Mar 2014 A domestic
disturbance [!?] that spilled out of a home Tuesday on a street near several
schools prompted a brief lockdown of the high school and three other schools,
officials said. "We did this as an extreme precaution," Superintendent Joseph
Erardi said Thursday. "It lasted about 20 minutes. There was absolutely no
danger to our school at any point of this." The event lasted from 11:45 am to
12:05 p.m. Tuesday.Vaccine effectiveness a dismal 9% in elderly against main flu
strain H3N2 29 Mar 2014 Vaccine
effectiveness against H3N2, the main flu strain circulating the 2012–2013 flu
season, proved to be only 46% in adults aged 18–49, 50% in those aged 50–64, and
a dismal 9% in people aged over 65 -- a vulnerable group. Flu hospitalizations
and deaths were the highest in almost a decade. Poor outlook: ...Moreover, the
Canadian researchers found that the same problem probably arose with a revised
H3N2 component of the 2013–14 flu vaccine (each season's vaccine is also
designed to ward off H1N1 and influenza B type viruses) and the upcoming 2014–15
vaccine. This suggests that effectiveness
against H3N2 may be poor in these seasons' vaccines, too.
[Mercury-laden, squalene-filled vaccines are manufactured so that
pharma-terrorists can make a killing on the(ir) pandemics.
--LRP]Mega barf
alert:Influential Republicans working to draft Jeb Bush into 2016
presidential race 29 Mar 2014 Many
of the Republican Party's most powerful insiders and financiers have begun a
behind-the-scenes campaign to draft former Florida governor Jeb Bush into the
2016 presidential race, courting him and his intimates and starting talks on
fundraising strategy. Concerned that the George Washington Bridge traffic
scandal has damaged New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's political standing and
alarmed by the steady rise of Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), prominent
donors, conservative leaders and longtime operatives say they consider Bush the
GOP's brightest hope to win back the White House.Bridget Kelly's lawyer responds to internal Christie
report 28 Mar 2014 The lawyer for
Bridget Anne Kelly fired back today against allegations that largely blamed her
for the George Washington Bridge lane closings, blasting a 1M report commissioned by
Gov. Chris Christie's office as containing "venomous, gratuitous, and
inappropriate sexist remarks." Michael Critchley, Kelly's lawyer, said in a
statement, "The report's venomous, gratuitous, and inappropriate sexist remarks
concerning Ms. Kelly have no place in what is alleged to be a professional and
independent report."Chris Christie confirms Port Authority chairman David Samson
has quit 28 Mar 2014 The governor of
New Jersey, Chris Christie, announced on Friday that the chairman of the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey, David Samson, has resigned. Samson refused
to be interviewed for an inquiry commissioned by Christie over the politically
motivated closure of lanes leading to the George Washington bridge, a key link
between New Jersey and New York that comes under the control of the Port
Authority, last year. The inquiry, by the law firm Gibson Dunn and Crutcher,
published on Thursday, recommended that the Port Authority be reformed. But it
left unanswered questions over the role of Samson in the lane closures and their
aftermath.Chris Christie holds first news conference in 76
days 28 Mar 2014 Gov. Chris Christie
is scheduled to hold his first news conference in 76 days today, speaking from the Statehouse at 2:30 p.m. It comes one day
after the law firm his office hired to conduct an internal investigation into
the George Washington Bridge scandal released a 360-page review that
cleared the Republican governor of any involvement.California senate suspends three lawmakers in criminal
probes 28 Mar 2014 The California
state Senate suspended three Democratic lawmakers on Friday who have been the
subject of criminal probes, including Leland Yee, who was arrested this week in
an FBI sweep on corruption and gun trafficking charges. The Senate voted 28-1 to
suspend the three, all of whom have been charged with or convicted of criminal
wrongdoing in separate cases, in a move that further erodes what had once been a
Democratic two-thirds super-majority in the Senate. The suspensions with pay,
the first in state history from the senate, deal a major blow to
Democrats in an election year as they seek to use large majorities in both
houses of the state legislature and all statewide offices to push through key
projects.U.S. will recognize 300 same-sex couples who married in
Michigan 28 Mar 2014 The federal
government will officially recognize about 300 same-sex couples in Michigan who
wed before such marriages were put on hold by the courts, Atty. Gen. Eric H.
Holder Jr. announced Friday. Last Friday, U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman
struck down Michigan's gay marriage ban but refused to issue the stay. That
allowed about 300 couples to marry on Saturday before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals in Cincinnati ordered a temporary halt the same day by issuing an
emergency stay. The appeals court on Tuesday then made the stay permanent,
pending a review of the case.21 confirmed dead in Wash. mudslide 30 Mar 2014 Another day of rain showers on Sunday greeted
searchers continuing their slow, resolute dig through mud and the battered
debris of what once was a neighborhood in Oso, Washington. A day earlier, the
effort drew a rare taste of good news: The number of missing people was
officially trimmed to 30... On Sunday, however, the confirmed death toll rose
from 18 to 21. Six of the dead were not yet identified, said Jason Biermann,
spokesman for the Snohomish County Department of Emergency
Management.La Habra earthquake: Powerful magnitude-4.1 aftershock rattles
Southern California 29 Mar 2014 A
magnitude-4.1 aftershock hit parts of Southern California on Saturday afternoon,
the largest of more than a hundred such aftershocks of Friday night's
magnitude-5.1 earthquake that shook homes and businesses throughout Los Angeles
and Orange counties. The 4.1 temblor struck just after 2:30 p.m., according to
the U.S. Geological Survey, which also recorded two foreschocks Friday,
measuring magnitudes of 3.6 and 2.1.Earthquake: 5.1 quake, aftershocks shake Los Angeles, Southern
California 28 Mar 2014 A magnitude
5.1 earthquake was reported Friday evening one mile from La Habra, California,
according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 9:09 p.m.
Pacific time at a depth of 0.6 miles.

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